


Beskar Covered Heart

by mandodjarinn



Series: Beskar Covered Heart [1]
Category: Din Djarin - Fandom, Star Wars, The Mandalorian (TV), baby yoda - Fandom, grogu - Fandom, mandalorian - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Oral Sex, Reader Insert, Sex and plot, Slow Burn, Smut, Some mentions of violence, no y/n
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29887485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandodjarinn/pseuds/mandodjarinn
Summary: As a pilot for the New Republic you have landed on the planet Sorgon to check on a displaced Alderaanian community. When the community is threatened by raiders you find help in a mysterious Mandalorian and his small child. Neither of you knew what this would lead to...
Relationships: Din Djarin x reader, Din Djarin x you - Relationship, Din Djarin/Boba Fett/Cobb Vanth, Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth, Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You, Mandalorian - Relationship, Mandalorian x Reader, din djarin x original character, din djarin/ original character, mandalorian x original character, mandalorian x you, mandalorian/ original character
Series: Beskar Covered Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2197455
Kudos: 1





	Beskar Covered Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of my new Din fic! It is reader insert but with NO Y/N and takes place following the events of Chapter 3 onwards. It will loosely follow the Mandalorian series with some slight deviations for the sake of reader insert and more side stories. Once I reach the end of chapter 16 I will just continue with my own story line!

You woke to the golden light peeking through the hole in the wall warming your face as you slowly uncurled your body, taking time to enjoy the tingle that ran down your spine. The small hut you had fallen asleep in the night before was simple and made of sticks the villagers had collected. It wasn't very good at keeping the noise out but in this moment you were thankful for that. You usually woke to the sound of air being recycled through the vents of your ship but as you listened to the laughter of children already playing in the warm morning sun you couldn't help the smile that was on your face before your eyes had even opened. You stretched your legs out further and rolled over, letting out a yawn as you did so and you considered letting yourself fall into another sleep.

The soft knock from the front of the hut stopped you from doing so and when you finally opened your eyes you could see the small feet poking out from underneath the thin mesh material that didn't quite cover the whole doorway. A lot of huts didn't even have this much, most just open doorways that allowed people to come and go as they pleased. You tried to think but couldn't remember the last time you had experienced a community as relaxed as this since you were a child.

You managed to find your voice, although it was gruffer than usual in its morning state, letting the person at the doorway know you were awake and they could come in.

The curtain like material was drawn back and a young girl, who had told you was called Lyra when you arrived last night, stood balancing a tray in her hand.

"Good morning," she said with a smile as she walked towards the table next to your bed to place the tray down, "you slept through breakfast so we kept some for you."

You pulled yourself up until you were sitting with your back against the wall as Lyra walked over to the window space to pull the curtain back. Looking at the sun it must have been almost midday. You really must have needed that sleep.

"Thank you," you said, while pulling the tray onto your lap, "would you like to share some?"

The young girl nodded and climbed onto the bed to sit next to you. Breaking the bread into two halves you handed her one and moved the tray to rest between your bodies. There was a comfortable silence as you finished the food while watching the group of children outside the window splash water from the small pond up at one another.

You were here to check on the community who you had helped moved to this very village years ago. You had spent the early years following the destruction of Alderaan searching for those displaced and helping them find new homes. This community was one you had helped. For the past year, you had checked up on those you had helped, talking to them and listening to what they had to say, and this community was the last to be checked. It was mainly young families, lots of children and widowed mothers, who despite all the pain they had suffered had maintained their values and built this safe and wonderful village together.

You only planned to stay for a few days and so decided to enjoy every moment you had here. They had offered you a place to stay for longer, maybe even forever, but you declined. You weren’t sure you were ready to settle in one place, to give up travelling the galaxies or meeting new people, just yet. You also weren’t sure how staying here could affect the community. You had made more than a few enemies from your time in the establishment of the New Republic and didn’t want to bring that threat here.

After finishing breakfast, the rest of the day went in quickly: first helping farm the crop field, then speaking to the children in the small school they had set up, before helping the elders make tonight’s dinner. 

You were sat on an overturned bucket and peeling some vegetables when you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Just as you stopped what you were doing to search for whatever caused this reaction, the familiar sound of blasters rang through the village. 

On instinct, you grabbed the small child that was sitting next to your leg and pulled their face into your neck to hide them from whatever was about to happen. You reached your other hand out and pulled the boys mother up, shouting at the rest of the villagers to run. Your feet pounded into the rough ground below you as you led them to a spot behind the huts dark enough to keep them hidden and turned to the woman next to you.

“You need to stay here. Keep quiet and don’t move,” you ordered, trying to be as quiet but as firm as possible. The woman looked back at you, wide-eyed and shaken, but nodded.

You weaved through the crouched down villagers and found some barrels closer to the centre of the village to hide behind as you tried to see what was happening. Eight men ran out from the forest and into the village, shouting instructions at one another in a language you didn’t understand. They began pointing towards the crop field and now you know exactly who they were.

Raiders.

You felt for the blaster that was strapped to your thigh. You knew you weren’t strong enough to take them all on. You were too out of practice. As long as you stayed here though, keeping quiet, you could let the raiders take what they were after and if any of them strayed closer to the hiding villagers you could use the blaster to protect them.

All but one of the raiders ran out of the crop field with their arms full back towards the forest. One had found his way walking towards the huts where the villagers were hiding behind, stalking like a predator looking for its prey. You inhaled and raised your blaster high in a space between the barrels, steadying it on him, and with an exhale you pulled back the trigger that send a blast straight through him. The other raiders began to shout, running faster back into the forrest. 

You raised the blaster high again, aiming it on the two slowest raiders. With another two deep breaths you managed to train your blaster on them, taking them down with two easy shots. 

Maybe you weren’t as out of practice as you thought.

You waited behind the barrels, keeping your breathing steady, until you were confident that the rest of the raiders had gone for the night. Once you were sure, you secured your blaster in its holder and ran back towards the villagers.

“Okay, you’re safe now. You can come out,” you said, trying to make your voice sound gentle.

The cries of the small children made your heart grow heavy. This community had worked so hard to rebuild the peace they had once enjoyed on their home planet and these raiders had taken that away in one night.

“What are we going to do?” one of the older women asked, standing next to you and watching as the others started to inspect the damage that had been caused.

“I don’t know,” you sighed while looking down at the woman, “but I don’t think I will be strong enough to protect you all myself if they come back again.”

\----------  
MANDO

Sorgon would have been the perfect planet for Mando and the Kid to lay low on for a while. It was quiet and the woman at the saloon had said herself that there wasn’t any business for a bounty hunter like him. That meant no business for anyone like him either. He was ready to settle in until he met Cara, who had already claimed this planet.

Leaving the saloon Mando reached down to lift the Kid up for the walk back to the ship.

“Well kid, this planet is taken.”

Mando turned to head back to the crest when an older woman carrying a basket of vegetables on her hip appeared in front of him. 

“A Mandalorian,” she hummed.

Mando sighed. It was hard for him not to attract attention, especially with all the new and shiny beskar that covered his body. There were two reactions when people seen him - either scared and cowering away or taking an opportunity ask for help with whatever problem they had. From the way this woman had approached him, he guessed the latter and as if on queue-

“Are you looking for work? There isn’t much around here for someone like you.”

“I know. That’s why we’re leaving,” Mando said, ready to turn and walk in the other direction.

“Or,” the woman said, stopping Mando in his tracks, “I may have something for you. We can pay you in credits and give you and your child a place to stay.”

“What kind of work” Mando sighed, the woman not looking like the usual type to offer a Mandalorian a job.

“Raiders.”

Mando nodded. He had told Cara that he and the Kid would leave this planet to stop attracting any more attention for either of them but he did need to take on all the work he could since he was losing out on the Guild work. She also offered a place for him and the Kid to stay for a while. There may be a way this could work-

“Fine. But I might need some help,” Mando said, tilting his helmet back to Cara who could still be seen leaning against the outside of the Saloon.

“That is fine. I will wait,” the woman nodded.

\----------  
It had been a long night tidying up the village and trying to reassure everyone. You had decided to stay up and keep watch. You knew that the raiders weren’t going to come back tonight and if they did then you alone wouldn’t be able to stop them but when you offered to “keep watch” the villagers seemed to relax and you knew they would have a sounder sleep with that thought in mind.

When morning came, you helped everyone finish tidying the village and as the midday sun came out you went back to your hut for some rest. It was a lot quieter today than yesterday, with an eerie silence filling the village as everyone went about their days work. You tried to keep the tears that were stinging at the corner of your eyes at bay but the more you thought about the villagers, the more they threatened to spill over. When you helped them move here you promised this would be a new place for them to call home. Somewhere they could have peace and continue to live their lives. Now, all because of these raiders, the villagers were once again full of the fear they had fought so hard to conquer.

You began to pace the small hut as the sadness very quickly turned to anger. You had failed them, all of them. They looked up to you as someone who could protect them but you weren’t as strong as you once had been, back in the days you first met them.  
You moved to your bed and removed your blaster from your thigh, putting it under your pillow. You almost felt ashamed at your actions with weapons feeling so out of place in this village but in this moment being ready to protect the villagers should the raiders return was more important.

You were exhausted and sleep came easier than you thought it would. By the time you woke up the sun was already disappearing from the sky and there was only a small light coming from the fire in the middle of the village. It took you a minute in your still tired state to notice that outside was no longer as quiet as it was before you slept. There was now a jumble of hushed conversations coming from outside your hut. You got up and placed the blaster securely back in the holder on your thigh and didn’t take the time to fix your hair that was now falling out of the two braids that usually kept the front pieces from your face and instead walked out to see what was going on.

You left your hut and weaved your body through the crowd that had now gathered around the fire and as they began to move out of your way your eyes fell upon the tall man, covered head to toe in beskar, that they were all crowded around.

A Mandalorian.

Next to him was a woman. You knew that had she been standing herself she would have been a dominating figure but next to the Mandalorian she looked small. The Mandalorian’s helmet turned to face you, his head tilting as you walked closer. His presence was dominating, with his hands resting on his belt. You kept your gaze on where you assumed his eyes would be, trying not to falter in your confidence, and tried to find your voice but were stopped by a small noise from behind the Mandalorian.

A tiny, green creature poked its head from behind him, its hands clinging tightly to his boot. It took you in and moved around the Mandalorian’s body before walking towards you. You began to kneel down, reaching your hand out towards the child but stopped as you noticed the Mandalorian had moved his hand to grip his blaster tight. You looked up at him, trying not to blush at the sheer size of the man towering over you as you knelt on the ground, and offered a reassuring smile.

Mando stopped and moved his hand back to his belt. He was used to treating everyone with caution, especially when it came to the Kid, but as you knelt in front of him now he immediately trusted you. It was almost on instinct. You were beautiful, yes. Probably more beautiful than anyone Mando had seen in all his travels, he thought. However, that wasn’t the reason. It was an automatic reaction to your smile and your eyes. They were kind. Kinder than anything he had seen before. His shoulders unconsciously relaxed as he took in the sight, leaning back to let you reach out for the Kid.

Everyone around you went silent, watching the unusual interaction. The small child waddled towards you grabbing your hand when he got close enough. You lifted him as you stood, letting him hold onto your fingers tightly and as you did so and looked back to the mysterious Mandalorian that remained standing in front of you. Even now when standing at your full height he still towered over you and your eye-line only just met his chest. You noticed it was rising and falling rapidly but his helmet was hiding the sound of his shallow breaths.

He didn’t know why his breathing had changed to double time but he couldn’t stop it and he couldn’t take his eyes off you to give him a chance to compose himself.

The woman who had brought the Mandalorian back to the camp broke the silent moment between you both, “they are here to help in case the raiders come back.”

You broke your eyes away from the Mandalorian and nodded. The same woman placed her hand on the woman’s arm who was with the Mandalorian and started to guide her to a free hut. With everyone else taking this as an indication to return to whatever tasks they had been doing before the three arrived you decided to deal with the Mandalorian and the small child still in your arms.

“Let me set you two up in one of the huts,” you said and waited for a reaction from the Mandalorian. Something to let you know that he was definitely listening even though the goosebumps on your arms made you think he hadn’t stopped watching you the whole time.

He leaned back slightly and gave a nod before you turned on your heels to head to one of the free huts. The goosebumps on your arms travelled to your neck as you felt the Mandalorian’s eyes remain on you. You assured yourself he was just watching the small child that remained in your arms. Was it his kid? You tried to stifle a laugh as you looked down at the child, imagining a giant version of him under all the beskar armour the Mandalorian was wearing. No. You were sure there was a human underneath that helmet from the little history of the Mandalorians you knew but mostly because of the way he stood. With confidence but not cockiness that so many men had. He stood powerful and confident in a good way.

Mando had been watching you though. He already trusted you holding the Kid, which still made him feel uneasy at how quickly he let that guard down. He was letting his eyes drag over your body as you walked ahead of him. He watched the way that he could see the muscles of your shoulders move under your soft skin as you walked. How your hips were swaying with every step. He was damming himself for watching you like this, a woman he had only just met and hadn’t even said a word to yet. 

You had him in a trance and he was indulging in leaning into it.

You turned to face him as you reached the empty hut. He snapped his head up from where it had been looking, his cheeks flushing red despite there being no way of you knowing where he had been looking a moment before. He couldn’t see your face as well this far away from the fire but he squinted through his visor to make it out under the moonlight. 

He let his eyes study your face, traveling over your nose noticing the bump at the top that looked like it was carved from stone and sharp jaw. This was contrasted by your soft lips that were now curved in a smiled and eyes that were somehow trained on his. As you had tilted your head up a piece of hair had fallen in front of your eyes but with your arms full you couldn’t brush it away. Mando tightened his hand in a fist, fighting every urge that crept through his body to not reach out and brush the strand away. Your hair looked almost as soft as your skin as it waved around your face. He was glad when you decided to finally speak and break him from these thoughts.

“This hut is free for you both. It is quite small but the bed will be big enough I’m sure. There is a small cot one of the children has grown out of for this little one,” you said while handing the Kid back to Mando.

You turned quickly on your heels to go back to your hut and fetch some extra blankets and water for the night as Mando moved to place the Kid down in the cot. He was already curling up to fall into a deep sleep and Mando reached down and gently scratched at the space between the Kid’s ears. This village seemed like a nice place for him. Everyone here, especially you, seemed friendly enough. He was too busy in his own thoughts to notice you come back and only looked up when you gave a soft knock to the side of the hut.

“Some blankets and some water for the night,” you said.

“Thank you,” Mando replied.

It was the first time you had heard him speak and even though his voice was hidden behind a modulator it send chills down your spine. You tried to turn your face to hide the heat that had found its way to your cheeks as you placed the water jug on a table next to the door.

“This is very kind,” Mando added as he reached out for the blankets.

His fingers grazed over yours and despite being completely covered in a pair of leather gloves it made your breath hitch in your throat. You could feel the head radiate off of him in the brief moment your hands had touched. You hadn’t realised, or his helmet had concealed the noise, but his breath had caught in his own throat at the same act.

Mando had waited till you began to walk out of the hut before squeezing his eyes shut, trying to find the confidence to ask for your name. He had fought some of the most feared bounties in the galaxy but had to count to three to find the words to ask. As if you could read his mind you turned to give him one last look before letting your name pass your lips.

“I’m just two huts down should you or your child need anything during the night. Good night,” and you offered the same smile as when you first met.

He repeated your name, whispering it for himself to hear in his own voice, before offering a good night and turning to the bed.

The few words the Mandalorian had said to you rang clearly through your mind all night. Every time your eyes closed you pictured his tall frame and felt the way your neck had to tilt to an almost painful angle to properly take him all in. You wondered if he went straight to sleep that night, imagined him lying out in the bed that was probably only just big enough to fit him. 

Mando didn’t fall asleep quickly that night. In fact, he couldn’t find sleep at all. He hadn't released his hand from the tight fist it had curled into after your hands touched, trying to keep the feeling of your fingers on his leather gloves locked in. 

The long night dragged in for you both with your thoughts consumed of one another until the morning sun broke over the trees.  
You couldn’t lie in bed with thoughts of the Mandalorian any longer and after getting dressed moved to help with the breakfast. You stirred the large pot until it was ready and began to pour it out into bowls for people to collect. The woman who had arrived along with the Mandalorian last night was sitting off by herself and so you decided to take one of the bowls of food over to her.

“Here you go,” you said and introduced yourself, “we didn’t get a chance to meet last night.” 

“Cara,” the woman said with a smile.

“Thank you for coming to help. I think maybe later you, me and the Mandalorian should talk about the raiders.”

Cara nodded, taking a sip of the soup from the bowl. You wondered if she was maybe the Mandalorian’s partner and suddenly you felt a tinge of jealously stinging in your chest. 

“Have you been travelling together for long,” you said, unable to content yourself, as you looked down to kick a stone out of the way trying to look unbothered.

She laughed.

“No, we just met yesterday and he asked if I could help."

“Oh,” you replied, happier with that response than you should have been, ”well, enjoy your soup. I’ll come find you once you’re done.”

Once everyone else had been fed you filled two more bowls and walked with them to the Mandalorian’s hut. You could feel your palms become clammy as you walked closer and tried to shake off the nerves that had now consumed your whole body. When you finally reached the doorway you gave a soft knock with your elbow and waited. You could see the familiar glove you had spent most of the night thinking about grip at the edge of the curtain before pulling it back to reveal the whole of the Mandalorian. He was even taller and his shoulders even wider than you had remembered.

You cleared your throat, trying to find your voice.

“I brought you both some breakfast,’ you said, handing the bowls over to the Mandalorian.

“Thank you,” he said, the same words as last night sending the same chill down your spine.

You kept your eyes focused on him as he walked over to the table where the Kid was sitting, placing one of the bowls to the side as he began to feed him. He could feel your eyes on him and he tried his hardest to keep his shaking hands steady as he brought the spoon up to the Kid’s mouth.

“I can feed him if you want?” you offered.

Mando relaxed at the sound of your voice but turned to you with a tilted head.

“It’s nicer warm,” you explained, pointing to his bowl of breakfast that was left sitting to the side.

He nodded, placing the spoon back in the bowl and sitting back in his chair and you took this as an invitation to walk towards them.

“Thank you,” Mando said, wondering why these were the only two words he seemed to be able find when he was faced with you.

As you walked away carrying the Kid, Mando took his helmet off. He looked to the bowl next to him but something forced him to stand and walk closer to the doorway. You had closed the mesh curtain as you left but he wanted to take the risk of someone seeing his face to see you properly. Looking through his helmet wasn’t the same as looking with his own eyes and he wanted to - no he needed to - see you without the barrier. 

His eyes found you immediately, sitting on the edge of a log as you fed the Kid breakfast. He found his hand on the curtain gripping even tighter as he took all of you in. 

You were beautiful. He knew that already. However, looking at you now, completely unfiltered, he couldn’t tear his eyes from you. Your hair was pinned back from your face allowing him to see the funny faces you were making at the Kid, trying to get a laugh from him. Your dark eyes held so much brightness in them. 

Mando didn’t know how long he stood there for but by the time he made it back to the table it had been long enough for the breakfast to get cold. 

You were right. It would have been nicer warm.

Once he had finished, he placed his helmet back on and began to walk out to the centre of the village. You and Cara were already sitting with one another, the Kid on your lap pulling gently at your hair. You had already sensed him walking over and looked up before he had made it all the way over.

“The raiders you were told about last night have a camp not far from here. Theres about 10-15 of them. I’d rather we could take them out there than let them come back here?” you said, filling him in on everything you and Cara had spoken about so far.

Mando stopped to think for a moment. Firstly, because he was surprised that such strong words could come from such a kind looking person. Secondly, to actually think about the plan.

He nodded, “Okay. I have some weapons back at my ship that could help.”

“We can help you with them? We should get them now and be ready to go by nightfall,” you offered.

You stopped and looked to Cara whose eyes were trained on a group of women standing near the edge of the crop field. You had noticed Cara’s tattoo in the light this morning and in the short chat before Mando had joined them learned that she too was from Alderaan. 

“Or, Cara can stay here and help the farm what is left in the crop field?” you said to offer an alternative that would allow Cara to spend some time with the villagers.

Cara looked to you, grateful for the thoughtfulness in this moment.

“I can go myself,” Mando said, not sure how much help you would be in carrying his weaponry back. His equipment was heavy and built for him and you were definitely a lot smaller than him.

“I’m stronger than I look,” you said with a smirk that made his heart falter for a moment. He had to lock his knees a bit tighter to save himself from collapsing at the sight. Mando nodded and waited for you to hand the Kid off to Cara before turning to lead you both back to the Crest.

The walk started off quiet, only the sound of cracking branches coming from behind him reassuring Mando that you was still keeping up. The silence continued for a while longer before you decided to break it yourself.

“Thank you again for doing this. I’m sure you have better jobs you could be doing.”

Actually I don’t Mando thought but instead said, “It’s no problem.”

“I don’t know much about Mandalorian’s, you’ll have to forgive me, but do you always have to wear that helmet?” you asked. It was something you had wondered since the night before. You hadn’t seen even the smallest piece of skin and doubted that someone would choose it out of comfort.

There wasn’t an immediate answer and worried you had overstepped you added, “you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to. I’m sorry,” lowering your head so your eyes were trained on the ground. You had hoped you hadn’t made him uncomfortable or probed too much as from the little you knew about him you had still managed to guess that he wasn't the talking type.

You were so caught up in your worries that you hadn’t realised the Mandalorian had stopped walking until you bumped into he back of his armour. He hadn’t even flinched with the force of you hitting against him, yet it had been enough to knock you back and lose your balance. 

He had moved so fast he had already turned and his hands were steadying you before you could hit the ground. One of his hands held tightly onto the top of your arm and the other on your waist. Your breath caught in your throat, feeling just how big his hands were as they easily wrapped around the whole of the top of your arm and gripped onto an impossible length of your side. You looked up and were met with his visor only inches away from your own face. 

The both of you lingered for a moment longer than you needed to and you recognised the same rapid rise and fall of his chest that you had noticed last night. You felt your cheeks blush but your eyes were too focused on his helmet to try and move and hide it.

“Are you-“ he cleared his throat, “are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m sorry- sorry for bumping into you and for asking about your helmet,” you looked down at the ground again.

Mando didn’t want to move his hand from your arm. Even with his gloves on he could tell how soft your skin was. He savoured the moment for a minute longer, moving a finger slowly up and down your arm and waist slightly before straightening himself up again.

“It’s okay,” he said, turning to start walking again. 

The silence continued for a minute longer before Mando finally got the courage to speak.

“It’s my creed. To protect our identities,” he said, turning his helmet to look back at you. You raised her eyebrow, unsure of what he meant, and he continued, “we put the helmet on when we come of age and we can’t show our face to any other living being or tell them our names.”

He slowed his pace slightly until the two of you were now walking alongside one another. He looked down at you, trying to make out the expression on your face with your eyebrows pulled together and lips pulled tightly shut. You didn’t know what to say, not wanting to overstep but you wanted to know more. You looked up and opened your mouth before shutting it again, failing to find the right words.  
He usually didn’t want to talk about this with anyone but he wanted to hear your voice again so nodded his head to let you know it was okay.

“So no-one can see your face, ever?”

“No. Well, if we marry our partner can and any children we have. But no one else,” he said.

Usually he didn’t care for others reactions but his eyes were firmly on yours as you listened to him, nodding as you took it in.

“So, what do you want me to call you then?” you asked. If you couldn’t know his name there had to be something you could call him.

He looked forward again, making sure the path ahead was clear for you both, before looking back down and meeting your eyes. It was rare, if ever, someone actually managed to find his eyes behind his helmet but somehow you did every time. He felt like you were seeing him more than anyone ever had.

“Most just call me Mando,” he said with a shrug as he kicked a stone that was in his way.

“Mando,” you hummed, feeling it out on your tongue.

The rest of the walk was in a comfortable silence until the Razor Crest came into view. You let him lead the way onto the ship and took in the surroundings. It wasn’t the biggest ship you had been on but not the smallest either. 

He moved swiftly, gathering together a bag and climbed a ladder straight ahead of you to what you assumed was the cockpit  
You leaned against one of the walls, waiting for him to come back. There wasn’t anything personal about, all the dark greys and silvers blended in together to give off a rather impersonal ship. You were so lost in your own thoughts trying to guess what was in each compartment you hadn’t noticed him come back down the ladder until he was in front of you. He stood in silence for a moment before clearing his throat and you looked up at him.

“My weapons. They’re in the compartment behind you.”

You blushed and apologised before moving out of the way and allowing him fill up a few bags of equipment.

He moved swiftly, making it look effortless as he moved the heavy weapons about. 

“We probably won’t need all this but just in case,” he said, tightening two bags to a pole and lifting it to place over his shoulders. He put the lighter items in a bag for you to carry. He didn’t want to insult you by not letting you carry anything but he didn’t want to give you too much. He let you lift the big and noticed the muscles in your arm flex as you lifted it, surprised that under the soft skin there was clearly more power than the thought. 

“Ready?” you asked, giving him a smile.

He nodded and let you walk down the ramp first before following.

He wanted to walk close to you again but the pole over his back stopped you both from walking side by side along the track so he kept a few paces behind. His mind was suddenly full of questions about you and wanted to know everything he could. He took in a deep breath and made himself ask it before he lost his nerves again.

“Have you lived in this village your whole life?”

“No. No one here has,” you said with a shrug.

Mando looked down at you, tilting his head waiting for you to go on. You were glad he didn’t rush you to continue as you felt the tears sting the corner of your eyes once again. Once you had settled your breath you went on.

“Everyone here is from Alderaan. This is where they settled to start their lives again, after… well, you know.”

Mando did know. Everyone in the galaxy knew that much at least.

“That’s why I want to stop these raiders before they come back. They deserve peace. I helped them when they first moved here and I can’t help but think there is a reason I came back to visit when this happened, I have to help them.”

Mando nodded. He could see the tears that were now threatening to spill over and remained silent until you seemed a bit more settled.

“So… you don’t live here then?”

“No. I was just back to check on them.”

“Where do you live then?” Mando wasn’t sure he had ever asked someone so many questions before and mainly because usually he didn’t care enough about their answers. 

“Well… I do have somewhere on Chandrila but I spend more time travelling. This was the last community I had to check on so I could just go back but I don’t feel ready yet. Maybe travel round a bit more?” you replied.

The way you spoke had Mando clinging on to every word. You chose each word so delicately and spoke with such care - a softness - that made Mando want to reach out and hold you again. He could still feel your warmth under his hands in that moment, keeping his hands tight in a first around the pole he was balancing on his shoulders, scared if he relaxed the feeling would disappear.

The village was coming into view and you took the lead as you entered., heading towards the fire to place the bundle of weapons down on a blanket, motioning for Mando to do the same. 

As soon as the weapons were down Mando’s eyes sought out for the Kid. It was hard to miss the little, green child who was already climbing down from Cara’s lap towards Mando.

He picked him up carefully into his arms and Cara joined the three of you. 

“I took a walk out earlier and found the camp. You were right there must be ten to fifteen raiders. Should be an easy enough job,” Cara said.

“Okay, we can get ready to head for nightfall,” Mando replied.

Mando and Cara’s eyes were trained on one another and suddenly you got the feeling they weren’t planning on you coming with them. You tried to steady your breathing as you looked between the two. You had been used to people leaving you out of the action before they got to know you properly. You know you didn’t exactly give off the energy of someone who could hold their own but it didn’t annoy you any less.

“So, whats the plan then?” you asked, crossing your arms as you waited a response.

“I think it’s best if the two of us just sort this one? You can stay here and- uh- keep watch?” Cara said.

You tried not to scrunch your face up at her comment and looked up to Mando who remained quiet. You gave one last look between the two before nodding once.

“Okay, well good luck,” and with a turn on your heels you headed back to your hut.

You hated how annoyed you got. Cara and Mando showed obvious signs of their strength with both of them towering above you but it didn’t mean you couldn’t be any help. You sat on your bed and leaned back against the wall, closing your eyes to take some deep breaths.

There was a knock at the side of the hut and when you opened your eyes Mando stood in the doorway. He took up the whole width of it and you wondered how big he actually was without all the armour because he surely couldn’t be that large alone.

“We are going to leave now,” he said.

You hummed in response, not sure what to say. He did feel sorry for you as soon as he noticed your reaction to Cara’s comment but he agreed that she was right. Nevertheless, he wanted to check on you before he left.

“Good luck,” you finally said.

Mando turned to leave but stopped himself.

“We shouldn’t be too long. I’ve left the Kid with one of the women near the fire,” he said and gave a nod before walking back to Cara.

You stood from where you had been sitting and walked to the window to watch Mando and Cara leave the camp. Just as the two reached the edge of the village Mando turned and looked towards your hut, making you quickly move to hide behind the wall. You tried to sit back on the bed but couldn’t content yourself. After ten minutes of pacing your hut you checked the blaster on your thigh and pulled a jacket over to hide it. 

Wandering out of your hut you looked to check on the Kid, making sure he was fine, before heading towards the forest. Just as you were about to weave through the trees you noticed Lyra walking back from a near-by river. You put your finger to your lip, silencing her before she could speak, and with a smile you headed into the forest.

You knew you had entered the forest the same way as Mando and Cara, seeing their heavy footprints in the muddy forest floor, so continued on that path. However, after a while the sun started going down and it became harder to follow the path they had laid out so you began to follow your instinct.

You knew you were nearing the raiders camp when you started to hear their shouts and laughs so slowed your pace. The last thing you wanted was so accidentally bump into Mando and Cara. As soon as their camp fire came into sight you hid behind a tree and waited for any sign of the pair. You didn’t have to wait long before you witnessed Mando creep into the camp and silence one raider with his arm wrapped around the mans neck. He managed to lift the man off the ground and barely looked like it took much effort at all.

Cara then appeared and took another out with a few punches and kicks. This was less subtle and now the pair had attracted the attention of the rest of the group. You held your breath, unsure of whether to jump in and help.

At one point there were five on one with Mando while Cara was held up against a wall by two of them. Without taking the time to think you started in your run towards the camp, shooting two blasts that took out both men who had Cara.

You took a slide and knocked down one of the men on Mando and as he hit the ground fired another shot into him. It was now four versus three and the odds were more in your favour as the three of you easily took down the four left.

You stood and as you all caught your breath a smirk came onto your face.

“Best with just the two of you then, huh?” you laughed.

Mando’s head had tilted but before you had a chance to say anything else you heard a scream come from the same direction you came.  
Your legs were already moving before you had a chance to think again and your feet pounded into the ground hard. You could hear the heavy steps of Mando behind you and despite his long legs he couldn’t keep up with the adrenaline rushing through your body. You came to a halt as soon as you seen the sight before you.

One of the raiders must have managed to sneak past you as you took down the rest and found Lyra on the edge of the forest. He had her off the ground with a knife to her neck.

“Don’t move,” the man snarled as he leaned in and smelled Lyra’s hair in a way that made your stomach churn, “or she gets it.”

“What do you want?” Mando asked, his voice level.

The man looked to Mando.

“How about a shiny bit of that beskar, should be enough to get me off this planet.”

“I’m not giving you any beskar, how about some credits?” Mando bit back, his voice still level.

You took the opportunity of the two going back and forth to hold your blaster tight in your hands again. You moved slightly to the side, the raider not noticing as he kept his eyes on Mando’s armour, practically salivating thinking about how much it would sell for.

You took the same move as last night, inhaling as you lifted your gun, carefully training it on the raider and not Lyra. You pulled the trigger and watched as the man fell to the ground, leaving Lyra standing free of his hold. You ran over and caught her before she fell as she was overcome with emotion.

“Shhh, you’re okay, we’re here now, no one can hurt you,” you whispered to her as you ran your hand over her back. Cara began to move the body away and Mando crouched down next to you.

“I’ve got her,” he whispered and you let him take her from your arms.

He carried her back into the village and you motioned towards her hut to put her down in. He stood at the doorway and played with the buckle on his belt as he waited for you to tuck her into the covers and filled a glass of water to place on the bedside table. By the time you both left her hut Cara had already told everyone that the raiders had been dealt with and the tone of the village was already a lot lighter. One of the women had placed the Kid back in his bed so the two you walked quietly towards your huts.

You stopped when you reached the entrance to yours and turned to Mando.

“Thank you, for everything,” you said.

“I think I should be the one thanking you,” he replied. 

You looked down at the ground and let out a soft laugh.

“I’m- I’m sorry we decided to go without you. I really thought it would be the best. I didn’t know you could fight like that,” he said, letting his head hang low for a moment.

“You didn’t ask,” you said with a smile trying to soften your words.

“Yes. I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a lot quieter than usual.

You didn’t want him to feel bad, it wasn’t your intention, so you reached out and placed your hand on his arm.

“It’s fine,” you said with a smile, moving your head to try and catch where you assumed his eyes were, “most people wouldn’t think to ask. Plus, it's been a while, I'm surprised I can even still fight like that.”

Mando wondered how you knew what to say to make him feel better despite knowing him for less than a day.

“Are you and your child leaving tomorrow then?” you asked.

“Yes. I think so,” he replied. There was a weight at the bottom of his stomach that grew heavier as he thought about leaving.

“Well, I guess I will see you before you go in the morning then, Mando,” you gave his arm a squeeze before finally letting go and walking back into the hut. 

You had also planned to leave tomorrow but didn’t say anything. You groaned as you let your body fall into the bed, spending another night with thoughts full of the beskar covered man.

You rose with the sun the next morning and began to pack your bag and got ready to leave. You cleaned up the little belongings that you had left around the hut and made your way to the centre of the village. You spotted Cara sitting on the edge of a log with breakfast in her hand.

“Hey there, badass,” she called over, earning a laugh from you.

“Hey,” you called back, heading over to her.

“Off so soon?” she asked, nodding her head towards the bag you had over your shoulder.

“Yes, I only planned to stay for a few days anyway,” you replied and she nodded.

“You should stay here for a while, you know. My hut is free now and its big enough to settle in for a while,” you said.

You could see a slight sparkle in her eyes as you said this, contrasting her otherwise rough exterior.

“You think?” she asked.

You nodded as you took bowl of breakfast and sat down next to her. You spent the next few minutes in silence as you eat together. When you finally looked up you seen Mando and the Kid walk towards you. You saw the helmet tilt toward you bag at your feet.

“You leaving as well?”

“Yeah, I said I was only staying a few days and I think this is as good a time as any to leave. Plus, this one needs my room,” you said, giving Cara a nudge.

Mando nodded and lingered for a moment, this hands gripping tighter at the bag in his hand like he as waiting to say something.  
“I’m going to go get another bowl of this,” Cara said, her eyes moving between the two of you.

Mando stayed still for a moment, not moving even after Cara was out of earshot and you weren’t quite sure what he was waiting for. The Kid had moved in front of you now and was clinging to your trouser leg as he climbed up onto the log next to you. You laughed and handed him the rest of your breakfast he was so eagerly staring at, letting him slurp up the rest. Mando took another step towards you, making you tilt your head up to look at him properly.

“If you want to, you can come with us? I need someone to help with the Kid and you said you had wanted to travel some more,” he said with his voice going so soft towards the end that the modulator almost didn’t project it. “Only if you want,” he added, his voice dropping down lower as he said this.

You bit back at the smile that was trying to take over your whole face and tried not to seem too eager.

“Are you sure?” you asked, regretting the words as soon as they left your mouth in case he changed his mind but his quick answer told you otherwise.

“Yes.”

“Okay, well, that sounds really good actually. Can I go say goodbye to someone quickly?”

He nodded before saying, “of course.” He had noticed that sometimes you waited for an actual response from him rather than just a nod or shake of the head.

You left your bag where it was and went to say a goodbye to Lyra. She was still quite tired after the events of the night before so you said a quick goodbye, before placing a kiss to the top of her head.

When you came back outside Mando had the pole back over his shoulders but this time it had all his bags plus yours.

The walk back to his ship was quiet. You had taken the Kid into your arms to make the long walk go in slightly quicker. When you got closer to the ship, Mando stopped dead in his tracks. 

You stayed closely behind him as he slowly brought the pole off of his shoulders and put his hand out, motioning for you to stay put. You kept as still as you could and pulled the Kid closer into your chest, hiding his face against your body. Without your footsteps you could now hear a beeping noise getting closer and closer. Before you knew it, blasts were being fired in your direction. 

Mando moved one arm out behind him, pulling you and the Kid against his back as he began to fire back. You nuzzled in as tightly as you could. The blasts eventually stopped and all you could hear was the sound of Mando’s heavy breathing. It wasn’t coming through the modulator and you realised that by standing this close to him you could hear his breaths escape from under the helmet. You took a deep breath in and your senses were suddenly filled with him and only him.

His smell, a deep cinnamon smell. His back muscles that were solid and pressed against your cheek. The way his hand squeezed tightly at your hip, holding you in place. You remained like that for a moment until the cries of the Kid broke you both away from your thoughts.  
Mando let you go and turned to face you and the Kid as you began to rock him, whispering quiet reassurances to him. 

Mando reached out, gently placing his finger on your chin with his thumb softly resting on it, to tilt your face up to him. He moved his hand and dragged his fingers gently across your face until he brushed your hair behind your ear. He moved his hand down your face and settled his hand on your shoulder, steadying the shaking. You realised you had been holding in a breath the whole time.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked.

You gave a quick nod and he bent to pick up the pole again. He managed to balance it with one hand now while the other was in your hand, holding tightly. 

“We better get back to the ship, quickly,” he pulled quickly you along behind him, turning every so often to check you and the Kid were okay.

Your mind was rushing with so many thoughts that you didn’t even know what to ask him. Who was that? Did he know them? Why were they shooting at us?

He hurried you and the Kid onto the ship before dropping the bags down near the door and motioned to the ladder and you climbed up with the kid on your arms.

“To the right,” Mando called after you and when you looked you were faced with the cockpit. 

It was bigger than you had expected with one pilots chair and two others behind it. Mando took the kid from you and placed him in the chair to the right before sitting you on the seat to his left. He worked so fast as he knelt in front of you and pulled the seatbelt across your waist and down your chest. His fingers grazed over your body in a rushed way unlike any of your other short lives touches over the past day and a half.

Mando moved into his seat and made fast work at taking off, his hands whizzing across all the switches in front of him. Your mind rushed to make sense of everything that had happened but you still didn’t know who that was back in the forest or why they were shooting at you. With the Crest now well above the ground Mando pushed the it into hyperspace before leaning back into his chair, his whole body finally relaxing. 

Watching the tension leave his body made you almost - almost - want to let him relax for a moment but you had to know.

“What the fuck was that?”


End file.
